Fighting with the Bible: Why Scripture Divides Us and How It Can Bring Us Together
by Donn Morgan
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In times of conflict, the Bible is often used as a club to beat those whose opinions differ from one's own. We recoil from such usage, yet the Bible actually represents many diverse and conflicting points of view. It is like a library, full of books that speak to all sides of every question. Like Christians today, the communities and individuals who wrote the biblical texts often strongly disagree with each other. Ruth and Ezra, Isaiah and Ezekiel, Micah and Joel, Deuteronomy and Daniel, show more Mark and John... what would they say to each other? Do they have anything in common? Each of these voices is firmly committed to his or her specific view of "the truth," whether it reflects a particular place or community, a prophet, a style of worship, or an "understanding" of who is in and who is out. The author guides us in considering how we can do justice to this welter of disparate voices. What can the Bible teach us about living together? How can we use it as a powerful resource for understanding and for moving beyond conflict? show lessTags
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Inspired by God, written by man, the Bible is comprised of various genres including law, history, wisdom, psalms, etc. Based upon when the writings occurred, e.g., pre-exile to or post-exile from Babylon, scriptural verses can conflict, which is why one can chose scripture, if chosen in isolation, to fight whatever cause one wants to fight. The author explores several conflicts within the Bible but also discusses what can be learned from the discrepancies. An enlightening read on this inspirational and historical book, which have often been misused.
NCLA Review - Christians plying Bible verses as swords against fellow believers is nothing new. Donn Morgan , president and dean of Old Testament of a theological college believes biblical writers often contradicted each others’ messages. The Bible teems with variations of belief, supplying grounds for supporting nearly any religious argument. He lines up for comparison the messages of Old Testament prophets, for instance, and traces the evolution of Jewish beliefs, such as thinking of themselves as God’s only people to realizing that God loves their enemies as well. He believes the inclusion of conflicting ideas was intentional and need not set Christians against each other. Morgan advocates respectful dialogue between modern show more “warring parties,” a willingness to listen to each other and “live and let live.” Exposure to another’s understanding may bring new insights, but even in disagreement there can be unity of purpose. Because of the theological depth, this is not a quick easy read. But it takes readers into a new area of knowledge, and encourages us to beat our dueling swords into plowshares. Rating: 3 —DKW 126p, paper, Seabury 2007, $14.00 [220.6] show less
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Donn Morgan has taught Old Testament at Church Divinity School of the Pacific since 1972, while serving in administrative roles at CDSP and the Graduate Theological Union much of the past twenty-five years. In addition to Old Testament and biblical studies, his areas of expertise include theological education and homiletics. As a teacher and a show more writer, Donn is drawn to asking the "so what?" and the "what difference does it make?" questions. show less
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